


You must have seen her dancing.

by KarlyBING



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ballet, F/M, clearly in love except they don't know it, light and fluffy because we need a break, something more than friends
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-03
Updated: 2019-08-09
Packaged: 2020-06-03 05:32:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 20,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19457383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarlyBING/pseuds/KarlyBING
Summary: Arya is a First Soloist at the Winterfell Ballet. She prides herself for her flawless technique and fierce attack in her favorite roles but she'll have to learn that to be a ballerina is also to bare her emotions out, especially to your pas de deux partner.





	1. Entrée

**Author's Note:**

> There are two things I love in this world, ballet and my OTP and so I gave myself a task.  
> This was inspired by anotherwaywarddreamer's post: https://anotherwaywarddreamer.tumblr.com/post/185886321695/look-who-joined-the-braavosi-ballet-dance
> 
> -Arya is rehearsing this with Cat: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yI34VmWV40o  
> -NWB stands for National Westerosi Ballet.  
> -The Taming of the Shrew I'm basing this on is the one by Jean Christophe Maillot for the Bolshoi.  
> -I'm using the ranking system from the Royall Ballet.
> 
> This is my very first fanfic, and English is not my first language, please have mercy on me.

Arya stood in front of the little black letters that read ‘Syrio Forel, Director’ and knocked without hesitation on the white door. She could hear Syrio sighing from the other side of the door and a beat later his voice rang.

“Yes Miss Stark, how can I help you?”

Now, that was a slightly dangerous question. If Arya was 12 again, just learning from this very same man one of the most difficult and beautiful dancing techniques in the world, she might have answered something straight to the point like _why am I not a Principal yet?_

But Arya wasn’t 12 anymore, and 23 year old Arya knew her teacher well.

“I just wanted to talk about my career with you Mr. Forel, if there is something my technique lacks...” Arya sat down in front of her teacher, now boss, her knees protested slightly while doing so but her face gave nothing away. Syrio played with a pen while he answered.

“It is my belief that ever since you were my student that your technique and poise was one of the most promising I’ve ever had the honor to work with, and as far as I know, your talent has only grown with the years. If there are specific notes to be made about your technique I am sure your teachers and répétiteurs would be happy to help you on the daily.” As much as Arya appreciated the compliment, she knew Syrio was trying to avoid a straightforward answer, and at 23 years old her patience was better, but not by much. 

“I’m just curious as to why, with my repertoire, technique, and reviews, I’m not being considered for promotion to Principal Dancer.” Arya stood straighter while she spoke, fixing her eyes on his while waiting for the answer. _Calm as still water_ , she thought.

“And what makes you think that you are not Miss Stark?” If Sansa hadn’t told Arya that she was to be promoted to Principal at the start of the season she would be feeling hopeful but, alas, Sansa had been on talks for this since the past season and just now was going to be promoted. That left Arya with little hope on the matter.

“Am I?”

“The fact that you didn’t get a promotion this season does not mean you are not being considered. Truth is, Miss Stark, the board thinks you are not quite ready yet?” If she felt hopeless before now she only felt angry at the stupid board and their stupid secrets.

“Why?! I think I’ve proven my artistry and strength!”

“No one can deny your technique is perfect if I do say so myself. And you have proven yourself to be memorable in many roles like Kitri, Esmeralda, Coppelia… we can’t deny your ability to interpret these feisty characters but there is one problem.” At this, Syrio dropped the pen and looked into Arya’s eyes, she felt like a little kid being scolded for not having the perfect ballet bun all over again. “A Principal dancer needs more than a perfect attack and a fierce attitude, they need vulnerability, and I am afraid Miss Stark that that’s not your forte.”

Then it dawned on Arya, her repertoire was exceptional, she knew. But it was obvious she relied on a specific type of characters, the strong, enigmatic and light-hearted heroine. Even in contemporary, her strong roles were the ones that had the fierce adjective attached to them. But, all she had to do was to get a chance to prove them all she could play the dramatic roles as well, Kitri be damned.

“So, what I have to do is play the sad, soft princess? That’s it?”

“It is not that easy and you know it, a true Ballerina needs to lose herself in front of the audience, we know you can do the steps but what about letting your emotions show? That is what you need to prove Arya Stark.” Syrio picked his pen again as if that would give him more emphasis, now she started to believe _he_ saw her as that scrawny little baby ballerina she was once and that made her even angrier.

“Alright, then I would like to be given the chance. Give me a role _vulnerable_ enough and let me prove to you that I am ready.” The sarcasm didn’t escape Syrio, she knew, but she didn’t care anymore. _Fierce as a wolverine,_ he used to tell her.

“Well… you still have to rehearse Kitri for Don Quixote this week and the Housekeeper for Taming of the Shrew next week…. I’ll make you a deal.” Arya almost rolled her eyes, last time she was presented with a deal another of the Braavosi Ballet soloists almost ended her career. Then again, this was Syrio and she trusted him.

“I’m listening.”

“You will perform your current roles as Kitri and the Housekeeper but, you’ll debut as Katharina at the Matinee for The Shrew, a perfect mix of feistiness and vulnerability for you.” Syrio knew exactly how to press her buttons but his offer wasn’t bad, at all. Truly a perfect mix of what she excelled at and what she allegedly lacked. She was ready to say yes until she remembered the end of Act II and how she would have to get very close and personal with her co-star.

“And who will be Petruchio?” She said while she picked her nails under the table.

“Ah, a Principal could dance any role with anybody, right?” Syrio relaxed into his seat and gave her a smug smile, he knew her so well.

“Of course… I accept.” She gave him a curt nod, her pride be damned, if she wanted to reach Principal she would have to make a couple of concessions along the way.

“Excellent, now off you go Miss Stark, I’m sure your sister is waiting for your congratulations.”

* * *

“Faster! A little bit faster! And… up!“ _Clap, clap, snap_ . “And!” _Snap, snap, snap, snap, snap_. “Perfect! That was quite lovely.” Arya ended the variation panting but if Catelyn Stark said it was perfect, then it was. Her mother was ruthless even with her own children, that’s why two out of three were Principals already.

“Perhaps open the arms a little bit more in that final pose but I do believe you could dance this role with your eyes closed.” Her mother said while handing her a bottle of water.

“If Ned Dayne wasn’t my partner for this run I probably could.” Poor Ned Dayne, he wasn’t a bad partner really, he just wasn’t the _best_.

“Oh! Then who’s your ideal partner?” Now, this was the real disadvantage of working with your mother, too many questions. Their relationship had improved with the years but some things never got easier.

“Come on, _Mrs. Stark_ , you know I can’t answer that. Anyways, it’s my lunch time.” Her mother smiled while she basically snuck out of the classroom with one pointe shoe still on and the other in her hand.

It wasn’t like she didn’t know who her best partner was. Honestly, it was quite obvious they had a special partnership ever since they were teens at the Riverlands Ballet School, but Arya would never tell Gendry that. She smiled to herself thinking of how lucky she was to have the opportunity to dance with her best friend. Especially after separating for so many years, they truly took the long road back to the Winterfell Ballet.

She got dressed before stopping by the cafeteria, craving a very well deserved pasta, she hoped Hot Pie had made something filled with carbs. He was Arya’s favorite cook in the company building if truth be told, he even baked them wolf cookies for their premieres. She should probably ask him his real name someday.

“Hi Hot Pie, what do you have on the menu today?” The friendly cook was stirring something behind the counter but he smiled to her anyways.

“Depends on what you’ll like today.”

“Carbs.” She smiled almost devilish. The fact that people still thought ballerinas barely ate still blew her mind, they all ate like athletes. 

“Oh, we have lasagna today!” He took a plate and gave her one of the cheesiest bits from the pan.

“Thank you, Hot Pie.” She said with a smile.

“No need, my friend.”

Arya took her food and searched for her friends, she barely moved when she found the three familiar mops of black hair, the Baratheons were so easy to spot.

“Hello, Arya!” Shireen was the first to notice her and immediately scoot to her left to let Arya sit between her and Gendry, he gave an enthusiastic hey in between bites of lasagna.

“Hello, again, how long since we saw each other, an hour?” Mya said in front of her. Company life was a constant in and out of the same people, but that’s what made them a family, a pack.

“And we will see each other again later, still nice to say hello to each other cousin.” Shireen pointed at Mya with her fork as if to scold her, but the oldest Baratheon just rolled her eyes while smiling.

“So, congratulations are due to the Stark family today, huh? I even thought I saw your sister’s eyes get teary this morning.” Great, Sansa wasn’t even waiting for the official announcement to be published before telling everyone...perhaps that was harsh, Mya was one of Sansa’s best friends after all.

“Yup, one more Stark rises to the fridge’s door of honor.” Arya tried to sound as happy as possible and so when Gendry almost snorted his water through his nose at the comment, she didn’t know if it was because he found her funny or terrible at covering her discomfort. She kicked his foot under the table just to be safe.

“I’m sure you’ll be in that door soon as well Arya.” Shireen said, sensible as always.

“Plus, you are still young, you won’t stay First Soloist forever like ol’ me.” Gendry offered.

“Excuse me, _little_ brother! What’s that supposed to mean!?” Mya said while throwing her dirty napkin at Gendry.

“Nothing!? What did I say!?”

“There they go again.” Shireen sighed next to Arya.

It was fun to spend her free time with the Baratheons, Arya thought, they reminded her of her own siblings.

* * *

“What’s your schedule for today?” Arya asked Gendry while they walked back to the rehearsal classrooms.

“Well, Syrio wants to talk to me for whatever reason and then I’m off to rehearse Espada and Basilio with Davos.” Gendry looked almost bored when he mentioned Syrio so she supposed there was nothing to worry about. “And you?”

“I have to rehearse with the Corps for The Shrew and then I’m off, want to have dinner after?”

“Sure.” He said, a boyish smile forming on his lips.

“Say hello to Davos for me.”

“As m’lady commands.”

* * *

“So, what did Syrio said to you today?” Arya said while pushing her peas around her plate.

“Nothing of importance really, he just wanted to know what I have planned for the future. If I am considering going back to the NBW and all that.” Arya almost choked on a pea at that.

“Are you?” Gendry looked at her then, a fond smile on his face.

“Nah.”

“Good.”


	2. Adagio

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya forgets she's not the only one with a promising career but Gendry is here to remind her of that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lots of technical terms on this chapter, which may I note is a Real chapter, 2k words of pure excitement.  
> I'm going to link useful stuff at the end don't worry reader, I too need visuals despite my active imagination :)

_Thump, thump, thump._

  
Arya groaned while she reached for her phone.  
_6:45 am? She was going to kill her._  
With the exception of the early rise, Arya always started her days the same. She would lie in her bed and crack her toes, then her ankles, and very carefully her knees. It was all a habit by now, sometimes she caught herself doing it in the most random moments, even right before she went to sleep.  
She would get out of bed and continue her pops and cracks until her whole body was stretched and awake, ready to get breakfast before pilates and finally head off to class. Today though she would start her day by asking her dear sister what was she doing dancing at 6:45 am in their apartment.

With a blanket around her shoulders, Arya Stark headed to the living room, just to find all of their furniture shoved to the side, and her older sister practicing her fouettées at the center of the room right in front of their big mirror.  
"Sansa, why are you doing this at bloody six in the morning?" Her sister landed on fifth position and stared back at her through the mirror's reflection.

"I have to practice. Plus, it's almost seven." She deadpanned and almost immediately prepared position for another round.

"What for? We literally practice the whole day, and your fouettées are fine." Sansa made three fouettées before losing her balance. Now she glared at her, and without backing down Arya asked what was probably nagging at her sister's mind.

"How many?" Arya came closer to her sister then, they were never the best of friends, but she understood the pressure of their craft.

"Only 28." Sansa didn't whine anymore like when they were children. She just stated her failure matter of factly as if she were punishing herself with only her words.

"It's not bad, you only have to do 4 more." Apparently, Sansa was suffering from what could only be called as self-doubt and she wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last dancer that questioned and beat themselves up for not accomplishing certain feats within their world, like the 32 fouettées count.

"Mom could do 33." Sansa's voice came out just as harsh as before. If truth be told, Arya did the exact same thing her sister was doing now when she danced at Braavos. But beating yourself up doesn't help anybody, it just gives you bad knees and maybe a sprained ankle.

"They say aunt Lyanna could do 34. Sansa, no one really counts." Arya started to get frustrated then, if coming from a ballet family had a disadvantage, it was definitely the constant comparisons with both her mother and aunt, sharing their looks didn't help at all.  
Sansa was right though, people did count and many ballerinas found themselves questioned and criticized by their peers and audience for not proving their worth every performance night.

"Even if they didn't, I do." Sansa raised her voice at that, leaving Arya quiet for a moment. She truly didn't want to fight with her sister, especially this early.

"Don't hurt yourself. And stop before the neighbors file a complaint against us." Arya turned on her heel and walked towards her room.

_Thump. Thump. Thump._

She sighed.

* * *

"So now plié, come underneath your leg and lift second! Up! Fifth in front and écarte, two and four! Plié arabesque!" The voice of their guest coach, Olena Tyrell, sounded loud and clear inside the studio. She made her way through the company members and gave corrections left and right.

Arya chose her favorite place at the barre as always, middle left row, right in front of the mirror. Jaquen H'ghar once told her that to look oneself in the mirror only distracted your body from what it already knew how to do, but there were many things the Braavosi balletmaster had said to Arya that she would rather forget.

"Stretch, half turn! Penché arabesque, down on one and turn on two and three. Left side!"  
Gendry stood right beside her as always, she realized that through the years a clear companionship had been created between them. Wherever Arya went Gendry followed, even when neither of them kept contact after the Riverlands Ballet School they ended up in the same Company, and as far as Arya knew neither planned on leaving.

"You know, you always scrunch your face when you think no one's looking." Arya turned to him mid plié and whispered, as to not disturb the Tyrell ballet mistress.

"I do not!" He whispered back, deepening his frown. He truly was so easy to rile up, how did they even stay such good friends when they bickered most of the time was beyond her.

"Yes, you do! You frown and suck in your lips when you concentrate." They kept quiet while Mrs. Tyrell passed next to them.

"And up! Slide foot, and-a stay! First-time tendu every time and-a back! Up! And on the other side."

"Pod and I were thinking of doing a collage with all the pictures we've taken of you and paste it in your dressing room." Arya grinned at Gendry throughout the whole grand battement exercise and although she did irritate Gendry he loved that stupid smile of hers.

"Calf rises, slowly and breath in deep!" They stood face to face then, or in their case, face to chest.

"What makes you think I don't have pictures of your silly faces? You are always biting your lip and sucking your cheeks in." Now it was Gendry's turn to annoy her, through the years he truly became an expert at their shared banter.

"Oh, you would ne-"

"Right, class at the center!" Arya left Gendry's side feigning indignation and started to put on her pointe shoes and practice skirt, ready for the jumps.

"Your sister looked awful this morning, what did you do now?" Mya sat next to Arya, burning the end of her ribbons before tying them to her ankles.

"I did absolutely nothing, she put herself in that foul mood all on her own." Arya tied her ribbons a little bit too tight while answering and had to do them again, frustration clear on her face.

"Sorry, you've got to admit most of the time you are behind her morning grumpiness." They both finished their ribbons and stood up, heading for the little clusters that started forming at the back of the studio.

"And she's of mine." Mya smiled sympathetically at that, probably remembering her own four siblings, all living under the same roof. At least Arya shared her place with only one of hers.

"Ah! Siblings, love to hate them, hate to love them." Arya couldn't help but roll her eyes, she loved her family more than anything but a little bit of healthy distance wouldn't hurt sometimes, especially considering she saw them almost every day.

"So we go front to one, and two, arabesque! And three and four go back. Go front rond de jambe, close to fifth. Then second position, one, second two, second three, four, five, pirouette! And then you're ready for the other side." Olenna Tyrell narrated the combination rhythmically almost as if she were to start singing. Arya stayed in the first group with Mya, Sansa, Meera Reed, and Podrick Payne.  
They danced to the beat of the perky music, one side, then the other and then ran to the sides of the studio for the next group to come forward. By the time they reached the allegro part of the class Arya's left knee was ready to give out.

"You okay?" Gendry came from behind her, nudging her elbow.

"Yes, I'll just have to visit the physio later." Gendry nodded, he squeezed her forearm before taking his place with the first group, this time Arya stayed behind.  
Now she saw clearly what their preferences were. Gendry wasn't big on soft movements and fast turns like she was but he loved the jumps, sometimes it looked like time stopped for him mid-air and it left her breathless for a moment.

"Alright, the last one. Ladies start with relevé développé écarté, chasse, pas de buorrée. Big jeté développé! Then left and right and pas couru, grand jeté. Prepare and go! Fouetée! Sauté and tombé-pas de buorrée and out! You! Go!" Olena had to take a big breath before continuing, removing a piece of hair from her face that had fallen from her neat updo. "Men, same but it is one-and-a two glissade jeté!"   
Arya saw the first group of girls jumping and couldn't help but think of a couple of years ago, back in Braavos, on how a hyperextended leg and a bad landing during a jeté cost her a broken knee, almost ending her career.

"Don't worry too much about it Arya, just do what feels right for your body." Arya was just able to nod at Mya before turning her attention to the front of the class. Gendry truly looked like he was born for this, the strength he put into his jumps was hypnotizing and the way he landed with a pose clearly belonging to Don Quixote just made him look every bit the dashing leading man.

"Pff, show-off." Mya would never give her brother a break, but who was she to judge.

It was their turn now and Arya remembered Syrio's words right before jumping into the air, _fear cuts deeper than swords_ , she thought of going up instead of landing perfectly well, _the man who fears losing has already lost_ and then her right leg touched the floor without pain.  
She smiled proudly at herself although the real problem rested on her left knee and as it irrational as it seemed she couldn't help but worry.

Gendry went for his jump again but landed differently, in a pose she had never see him do before, the brokenhearted Albrecht from Giselle.  
"Oh, the little shit can't help but flaunt his luck." Mya snickered right beside her.

"What do you mean?" Arya turned to look at Mya, confusion evident on her face.

"You know... about Syrio's casting choice." Arya looked at her expectantly, urging her to speak with a hand movement. "He offered Gendry to debut as Albrecht next season." Oh, she thought. Her eyes seemed to grow in size out of shock, not because Gendry landed the part but because he didn't tell her. Mya most have seen it in her face because her expression quickly changed from confusion to realization.  
"Wait-"

Whatever it was she wanted to say was quickly left behind as they took their turn at their last combination in class, Arya got so caught up in Gendry keeping a secret from her she didn't think of her bad knee until she landed her jump. She definitely needed to visit the physio suite later.

"He didn't tell you?" They both walked towards their bags at the corner of the studio and started to remove their pointe shoes.

"I guess he forgot." Arya flinched while removing a band-aid from a particularly bad blister on her little toe.

"Yes, that must be it." Mya waited for Arya to look back at her, maybe get angry, anything... but she only bit her lip in silence before packing up her things and leaving the studio.

* * *

Arya waited by the studio's door until Gendry stepped out and took him by the wrist, making him follow her through the hall.  
"Uhm, where are you taking me?" Gendry followed good naturally, he really couldn't find a reason to distrust his best friend's intentions.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Arya looked back at Gendry with a smile right before reaching the performance call sheets "now close your eyes. Only open them until I say so." Arya grabbed his elbow and waist, preparing to lead him while blind.

"As you wish." He saw her roll her eyes before closing his own and was then led a couple of steps more before Arya took his hand and placed his index finger over something in front of him.

"Alright, open them." Gendry stared at a call sheet for _The Taming of the Shrew_ , and right above his finger the words _Arya Stark-Katharina_ could be read.

He turned to her and grabbed her arms, beaming with pride.  
"Arry! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, thank you, I would like to thank my team..." Arya said, both hands on her chest as if she was practicing an Oscar speech in front of a mirror.

"Don't get too cocky. Plus, you are not the only one enjoying new experiences." Arya raised an eyebrow at that but before she could ask, he took one of her hands and pointed her finger at the names below hers on the same call sheet.

  
_Sansa Stark-Bianca_  
_Podrick Payne, Gendry Waters, Edric Dayne, and Harrold Hardyng-To Be Determined._

It took Arya a minute to understand the words in front of her. The fact that the four men were eligible for the main role meant that she still had no Petrucchio and as professional as she was, the fact that she still didn't know who was going to make out with her on stage left her feeling uneasy.  
Gendry must have noticed her discomfort because his smiled faded, instead he started chewing on his lower lip, a habit he only did when worried.

She tried to reassure him, to tell him she was proud of him, but she was never that good at words.  
"Oh! I mean, that's amazing. But wha..." She meant to ask _what character do you think you'll get?_ But he beat her to it.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be playing The Father or something. You won't have to kiss me on stage." His voice sounded almost defeated, but he tried to hide it with an apologetic smile. Arya would have to admit that she made the same expression, only because she thought that for whatever ridiculous reason she would have liked it if Gendry played Petruchio.

"You'll still have to dance with me, and I'll have your head if you drop me, Gendry Waters." She punched his bicep softly and managed to get an actual laugh out of him, albeit small.

"Oh, I'm sure of it."

* * *

I based all of the combinations from [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FySuVhmb-OY) Royal Ballet class if you want to see them, the most difficult one is at 1:07:44

And [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOAFsU2kWPw) is the oh so dramatic Albrecht landing at 7:28


	3. Variation I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look into the lives of the Baratheons outside the studio, the Stark siblings dynamic and how important is to have the right partner to make the world believe you are in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This month has been a journey for me, so without further do/excuses here I present to you a 4k chapter because I am a serious content creator now.  
> Hope y'all like it, links at the end again.
> 
> P.D. I have no interest in pairing Gendry with anyone but Arya or vice-versa. Things that may happen on this or other chapters are only for the sake of rom-com confusion type of drama. End of statement.

"Wake! Up! Wake! Up!" Gendry begrudgingly woke up to his little sister jumping up and down in his bed, he had always been a heavy sleeper but in terms of wake up alarms, this was taking it to far.  
"Barra, what are you doing?" His voice came out hoarse and groggy and while he loved his sister he was ready to kick her out of his bed.

"Mya's freaking out because the microwave stopped working again." She dropped from his bed and headed towards the bedroom door, leaving it wide open, letting the morning sun in.  
In another life, Gendry would snuggle back into his bed and ignore the rest of the world until he felt ready to not punch anyone but life had an interesting way to make you grow up, and that interesting way turned out to be a family he didn't know he had and suddenly he had to wake up early for family breakfast and he wouldn't change it for a thing, so he got out of bed.

"Mr. Waters, Mr. Waters, your assistance is needed at the kitchen!" His other sister, Bella, sang from the corridor. How did his siblings managed to rise early was beyond him, then again, with Barra still in elementary school they were forced to do so.  
Gendry walked into the kitchen to find all of his siblings together, Edric and Barra watching cartoons from the kitchen table, Bella braiding Barra's hair behind them and Mya looking like the most miserable person with two flobby eggos in her hands.

"Gendry, I can't make Barra's lunch and fix the world at the same time." Mya sounded absolutely defeated and yet he couldn't help but chuckle at her sister's dramatics.

"I'm pretty sure you can warm up those eggos on the stove." He tried not to sound cocky but failed.  
Mya looked back at him, positively furious and pointed at the old microwave they owned, he shook his head at her while taking a pan from the cabinet and turned the stove on.

"Oh, you spoiled kids." He half sighed half laughed at the rest of his siblings waiting for Mya to put the damn eggos on the pan.

"The only spoiled kids in this house are Edric and Barra." A smile formed on Mya's face while she said that.  
The thing was, neither Mya, Gendry, Bella or Edric had known each other as kids and while life got rough for the first three during their childhoods, Edric grew up fairly well.  
In Barra's case, she had been constantly spoiled by her oldest siblings since she was three years old.

"I won't deny NOR confirm such accusations against my person," Edric answered without moving his eyes from the T.V.

"What we need is to buy another microwave or teach Barra how to use the stove without burning the house down." Bella finished braiding Barra's long hair at the same time she finished her sentence, only to have the little girl turn to her immediately, true Baratheon fury on her face.

"I'm 11, not 3, I can use the stove perfectly well." She smacked her fist on the chair while looking at Bella but her elder sister was the definition of unrelenting.

"So that one time you left the stove on by accident was just a glitch in the Matrix?" Bella offered back while bopping Barra's nose.

"What's the Matrix?" Barra's voice may have been tinged with indignation but it only made Gendry smile wider, Mya snorted beside him and Bella held a hand to her chest dramatically.

Edric finally turned his attention from the T.V. to Gendry, "We are ruining this child." he said.

* * *

"Has he always been that cocky or am I just noticing now?" Arya stood beside her sister while they both watched the men in the class jump at the front of the studio. They could see their brother Robb taking advantage of being received back with a very warm welcome, he didn't miss a single opportunity to show off. Arya wasn't sure she had ever seen him acting like the king of the world or in this case the studio.

"He was worse years ago." Sansa snickered beside her, Arya then remembered that she had missed a big chunk of Robb's life, she had probably seen him twice before moving back to Winterfell and it made her sad. None of her siblings really held it against her but she knew her relationship with them wasn't as _easy_ anymore.

"Look at Oleena, she's figuring out how's she's going to steal him for the WNB." Sansa bumped Arya with her elbow after noticing her face fall, trying to keep the conversation alive.

"Like she did you." Arya gave Sansa a sad smile which she returned, unaware of driving herself into unpleasant memories back in King's Landing.

"She taught me many things, but we're all better here, at home." Sansa turned into her hard, wise self again for a moment but the sisters had spent enough time together during the last year to know that when one closed off the other one could always bring her back, as annoying as it was sometimes.

"You should tell that to Jon." She elbowed her sister back, trying to encourage her cheeky side to come out.

"He's literally one hour away from us, don't be so dramatic." Sansa grinned at Arya right before they started jumping at the center of the studio. Like the class, before Arya ended the combination with her left knee bothering her, she adjusted her leg warmer over the bad knee and only massaged it for a brief second but of course, her sister noticed.

"You should go see Brienne before that becomes an actual problem." Sansa felt that she should probably say something more, something sweet and caring but it was still hard for her to show that side of her to her sister, or anybody.

"Sure mom." Arya was just the same though, coarse, sarcastic and cheeky and so she rolled her eyes at Sansa for good measure.

"And here I thought I saw you two getting along," Robb said while letting himself plop down into an awkward three-person embrace with his sisters, Sansa pet him on the back and Arya tried to appear disgusted but she couldn't help but smile. It felt great to be back home.

At the end of class Arya dressed up in her warm-up clothes and left the studio but instead of heading to the call sheets like she always did she went straight to the Physiotherapy suite.

"Hello, sorry I didn't make an appointment." Arya was welcomed by an empty room until Sandor Clegane's head popped out from a curtain at the end of the room.

"You better be limping if you want to bother us without an appointment," Sandor practically growled. After all these years he was still an asshole, and yet Arya felt strangely fond of him. She couldn't help but flip him up though.

"Hello Ms. Stark, how can I help you?" Brienne came in from the door right before Sandor could answer her, looking a bit surprised at seeing her so early in the day.

"Oh, Brienne how many times do I have to ask you to call me Arya?" They have had the same conversation plenty of times before, about how Arya felt Brienne was talking to Catelyn instead of her when she called her Ms. Stark but the kind woman always seemed to forget.

"Sorry, Arya. Now, what can I do for you?." She made a great emphasis on Arya's name when speaking, directing her towards the closest Physio bed in the room.

"I've been feeling a little bit of pain on my left knee again, wondered if you could do something about it." Arya jumped into the bed like she had done plenty of times but she couldn't help but feel anxious about it, like when she was a little kid waiting to get a vaccine.

"Sure, let's have a look." Brienne started to move her leg slowly as if stretching it at first. "Tell me if it hurts." She then proceeded to press on her ankle, extend her leg and the back up very slowly until her knee reached her chest. Just when Brienne started to extend her knee again Arya grimaced, trying not to complain but a professional physiotherapist like Brienne didn't miss a thing.

"Do you feel pinching or does the pain extends over your knee?" She let Arya's knee rest halfway while pressing on her ankle again, first up and then down.

"It extends around my kneecap." Brienne only nodded and then pulled her ankle down, hard. At the sound her ankle made Arya started chewing her lip nervously and when Brienne didn't continue she couldn't help but blurt out, "Is it injured?"

Brienne looked at her then, first giving her a reassuring smile but when she looked back down to her knee she frowned, "No... not yet, it's just a little swollen. Try not to tire out your knee, you know it's one of the hardest bones to fix." Brienne's hands left her leg and took a step back, looking almost apologetic, Arya knew that look was a bad omen.

"How am I supposed to do what I do when my knee can barely make it through a two-hour class?" She fully intended to suck it up and wait until she was out of the building to let her emotions show but her anxiety overcame her and dread filled her voice.

"Well, first of all, come by every day and we'll establish a strengthening routine for your knee. After that is just a matter of time." The physio spoke softly as if she were talking to a child who wouldn't stop crying.

"My knee will never be like it used to, isn't it?" Arya took a deep breath and faced the truth as bravely as possible, she knew that breaking her knee years ago was going to take a toll on her dancing but the way Brienne looked at her implied that she had underestimated the restriction it would impose against her and if there was something any dancer feared was not being able to dance, Arya simply didn't know what to do with herself if an early retirement was something she would have to deal with.

"You won't probably feel like you're 18 again, but it will not stop you from dancing right now." At the last word, Brienne turned completely solemn, looking straight at Arya's eyes.

"So, I'll just enjoy it while it lasts," a bitter smile formed in Arya's mouth while tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. Arya stood from the Physio bed and walked towards the Suite's door, looking back one more time at Brienne, "Thank you, I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

"Good afternoon group, I trust everyone is ready to rehearse until your legs are dead." Syrio Forel rushed his way into the rehearsal classroom with Catelyn and Davos on tow, the last two nodded their heads at the dancers up for rehearsal and then silently took two seats at the front of the classroom, a couple of notepads sat on their laps.

"Try to keep up lads." Harry's voice was barely a whisper but in the dead silent room, he may as well have shouted it. Syrio stood right in the middle of the classroom seizing them up and after a beat, he gave Harry a sarcastic grin.

"I'm sure a whole group of professional dancers won't have a problem with 'keeping up' Mr. Hardyng. Anyways, let's attack our first challenge, as you all know none of you, male dancers, were given a specific role in this production and although I have an idea of what roles you'll be dancing this rehearsal will serve as a tryout." Syrio's hands moved fluidly as he spoke as if he was getting ready to start dancing at any minute.

It wasn't often that Arya felt nervous at rehearsals, at this point in her career nerves mostly happened right before stepping onto the stage if any but here she was, palms clammy and chewing her lip like a green dancer about to present a test. If truth be told Arya was getting impatient at Syrio's mysterious ways, if they could only tell her who was going to be her Petruchio she'd just be able to mentally prepare herself for the awkwardness of it all and go back to normal.  
Syrio walked towards Cat and Davos and sat beside them, nodding at something Cat whispered to him, Arya was so caught in her thoughts she wasn't able to make out their words before Syrio cleared his throat and turned towards the class.

"First we'll run Bianca's and Lucentio's Pas from Act I with Sansa and... Gendry." If anyone noticed the way Arya's mouth opened like a fish no one said a thing but it was clear this casting choice came as a shock, Arya wasn't really sure why but she never saw Gendry like someone that could partner her sister, not that he couldn't, it just didn't feel right.  
Despite Arya's doubts, Gendry stood beside Sansa at the middle of the studio waiting amiably in position for the balletmaster's directions.

"From the first Penché Arabesque please, Mr. Greyjoy? Thank you." None of them had properly rehearsed the choreography but they watched the necessary videos endlessly and so Sansa and Gendry started their little pas de deux, it needed hours upon hours of practice to make it look seamless but their professionalism did not disappoint and they carried out each lift, step and turn in time of the music.

"Have they ever danced together before?" Podrick took Arya out of her trance and asked what was probably in everyone else's minds, she was sure they had never partnered together but then she realized she had never asked, and Gendry had already been a year at the company before she came back from Braavos.

"Not that I remember." She answered truthfully.

"Sure they did, for the Lyanna Stark gala almost two years ago." Ned Dayne sounded way too pleased and cheerful when he answered, unsure of what that meant Arya turned her sight towards Syrio and was a bit upset at finding him rather pleased with what he saw, beside him, Davos and Cat made little notes on their notepads.

"Right..." It was Podrick the one to answer Ned and expose his feelings, Arya noticed she wasn't the only one shocked in the room and it made her feel slightly better.  
Suddenly the music stopped right before the couple could reach the famous Eskimo kiss at the middle of the pas de deux, Syrio held a hand up for Theon to stop playing the piano and then proceeded to applaud the couple, the rest of the room followed.

"Thank you, Mr. Waters, now Mr.Hardying. From the very same position as before." Gendry only nodded and walked back towards his spot at the barre between Pod and Arya. She studied his face for a second and found him looking content, a couple of sweat drops already started to fall from his forehead.

"What?" Arya didn't notice, but it seemed both Pod and she had been watching Gendry with a little too much focus and were unsurprisingly caught by said man. Gendry, not one to feign ignorance and letting things go, of course, looked between the two, his eyebrows scrunched up together.

"Nothing." Gendry almost laughed at the comedic timing of his friends when they answered in perfect unison but the rehearsal was still going and he wasn't planning on getting kicked out of the studio for acting like a teenager. The three of them turned their focus back at the new couple dancing, Arya knew Harry and Sansa had partnered many times before and although you could certainly see practiced ease and knowledge of each other they didn't present something special.  
Syrio then raised his hand at the same moment he did when Sansa danced with Gendry and turned to say something to Davos who noted it down and then clapped for the couple.  
"Well done. Now Podrick, please." Pod seemed almost surprised at Syrio's words, he moved way too fast towards Sansa and almost made himself trip, making her sister give him a little smile.

"He's not gonna get it is he? Sansa and I have been partners for years." Arya didn't care for Harry the Heir but sometimes he acted like an asshole and Arya Stark was never one to keep certain things to herself, especially when the other person attacked her friends.

"Pod's as good as you Hardyng." She said it with as much venom as possible to which Harry only rolled his eyes at her and if Gendry hadn't squeezed her elbow she probably wouldn't have let it go that easy.  
She looked back at Gendry as if to complain but he just nodded towards the couple dancing in front of them and Arya found herself completely mesmerized at the sight.  
Where Gendry looked way too harsh against Sansa's movements and Hardyng way too delicate, Podrick danced around Sansa with the perfect balance of showing off and showing her off. Plus, his lovey-dovey acting was perfect and complimented her sister's hard-to-get attitude, their chemistry was undeniable and when Arya looked at Syrio he didn't look pleased he looked triumphant.  
His excitement even allowed the partners to get past the Eskimo kisses scene before Syrio raised his hands again calling for silence, and this time Cat was the first one to applaud the dancers.

"Thank you, Pod, Sansa. I would like to go through Katharina's and Petruchio's pas de deux from the first act now," Breaking the illusion, Syrio lost no time calling Arya at the center of the class but right at that moment she felt as stiff as a scarecrow "Arya, if you would be so kind." at the incentive she moved to her dancing spot and waited, a perfectly schooled expression on her face even though her hands were shaking lightly.  
Catelyn turned to Arya and smiled at her as if saying _don't worry, I was there once too_ , but Syrio was not going to give her that same treatment, he hummed while looking at the male dancers and after a second he pointed at one of her usual partners, Edric Dayne.

"Now, let's see Edric first shall we? From the middle, right before the slippery move, please Mr. Greyjoy." Edric stood in front of Arya and the music started, this was one of Arya's favorite moments from the whole ballet and she gave it all, truly trying to enjoy herself. The problem came when Ned almost dropped her at their first lift, Arya's feet touched the ground ungracefully but they kept going even if they never quite recovered their rhythm and missed a couple of other cues.  
Shostakovich's music stopped and Arya turned to look at Syrio's raised hand, she waited to be scolded or critiqued, maybe even to be asked to repeat the dance but the balletmaster only shared a couple of words with Davos before speaking to the class again.

"Thank you, Mr. Dayne, let's be more careful with those lifts in the future," Syrio made a paused and tapped his index finger against his chin, thinking on his next move, "Gendry please do try this role as well, from the same cue, please." At Syrio's words, Arya turned her whole body towards Gendry waiting for him. They both found a spot with the exact distance needed for the start of the pas de deux as if they had already done this a thousand times. Arya had to admit she felt incredibly relieved to have Gendry as her partner this time, as awkward as they thought it could be she had complete trust in him and vice-versa.  
The pas de deux started and they were completely immersed by the music, making the characters' banter come alive as if it was their own, she was even having fun, especially after nailing their first lift and the rest of the musical cues. They were both so focused on carrying on with the playful choreography that when Syrio called for the music to stop they almost kept going right into the first time Petruchio steals a kiss from Katherina, but they stopped just in time, close enough to feel each other's breath in their faces.  
The applauds came, and they both let each other go taking a few steps away from each other, Gendry looked back at her grinning and she couldn't help but answer back with a grin of her own.  
Their attention came back to the balletmaster when Syrio pushed his chair back when standing up.  
"Thank you, dancers. I will see you all tomorrow with the established cast." And with only that he stepped out of the room leaving everyone as unsure as when they came in.

A few steps behind Syrio, Catelyn stood by the door waiting for Davos, she looked at her daughters and smiled fondly.  
"You all did wonderfully, see you tomorrow." Then off went Catelyn Stark, Davos only stayed behind for a second to give Gendry a thumbs up like a true fatherly figure.  
Arya was happy for the support Davos provided to Gendry and the rest of the Baratheon kids, at this point she wondered why he didn't just adopt them all.  
But other thoughts were crossing her mind at the moment, instead of Gendry staying by Arya's side to chat, maybe plan on grabbing a bite, he went straight to Pod and ignored her completely. Something was off with Gendry's attitude towards her ever since they were cast in this ballet, she wondered if he really was that uncomfortable with acting as something more than friends. It wasn't like she wanted that to happen but she wasn't disgusted by it. Although if there was something still nagging at her was the fact that he had a chance to partner her sister and share those romantic scenes with her, and it made her feel childlessly sick.

She decided to confront her friend directly and immediately, not even caring for his conversation with Pod, she stood right in front of him, hands on her hips and nose turned towards him while Gendry towered over her clearly confused. For a moment they even looked like the children they were once, back at The Riverlands Ballet School.  
"I didn't know you wanted to try out for Lucentio." Arya's voice came out just a little too small for her liking but it did the job of leaving Gendry speechless for a second.  
He looked at Pod, trying to understand what was he supposed to say but the other man knew when to take his exit cue.  
"I'm...leaving, see you later Waters." Pod gave him an apologetic smile and left the room leaving Gendry with a growing nervousness that made no sense to him, it was only Arya, his best friend and so he answered honestly like he always had.

  
"Neither did I, I was sure I was gonna be either a Suitor or the Father." Gendry had to admit he was as shocked as Arya looked when they first called him to dance with Sansa but he liked to believe it was all to be fair towards the other dancers, still sure he wasn't actually going to get a principal role in this production. Arya could see that he wasn't mocking or playing with her in any way but still she couldn't understand why his casting had been constantly on her mind since yesterday and she needed answers.

  
"And Petruchio? Are you that scared of kissing me that you didn't even think of the possibility?" Her voice turned a bit softer at that, truth be told she wasn't sure what was the answer she expected but she had felt a little bit hurt at Gendry's insistence to not partner her for this ballet, especially when she needed someone who knew how to make her shine perfectly well.

  
Gendry seemed to be caught off guard, he opened his mouth a couple of time before answering her.  
"I never said I was afraid of kissing you... on stage, obviously. I just thought you would be more comfortable if that wasn't the case." It was his turn to confuse Arya because he sounded frustrated, like they had been discussing this for ages but Arya wasn't going to back down.

  
For them, the number of years that they had known each other didn't matter, they still fought like teenagers, trying to match the other in hot-headedness.  
"Why would you think that?" Arya sounded more similar to her sister than herself and it made her feel even more cross. She had no problem with getting the work done, all their training had prepared them for being comfortable while doing this, which made his worries sound even more stupid. Gendry could practically see her thoughts written in her scrunched up face because before she could say something else he defended himself.

  
"Oh! I don't know, you looked pretty alarmed yesterday." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and stood proudly as if those words had won him the argument. Arya couldn't deny that was the case but she hadn't reacted that way because she was worried about Gendry, she was worried about her and if she was going to be able to pull this role off.

  
"I didn't mean to!" Her voice came almost like a shout this time. She couldn't really blame her frustration on Gendry, there were so many things that had been happening to her lately and her poor friend didn't even know about most of them, the last thing she needed right now was a fight with her best friend and so she took a breath before saying most reassuringly, "Whatever Gendry, I don't care and you shouldn't either."

  
"Let's hope I get Lucentio then." The stubborn bull of a friend she had answered, he wasn't going to take that olive branch that easily. Sometimes she despised his Baratheon blood and just wished he could shut up and listen.  
The thing with Gendry though was that as caring as he was towards the people he loved Arya Stark just knew how to push his buttons and what was even more frustrating for him was that she didn't even realize how much power she had over his moods. Perhaps he was being a douche for answering her with such a low blow but right now he was confused, tired and feeling attacked for whatever reason Arya had forgotten to tell him and he wasn't going to just stand there and take it.

  
"Yes, let's hope you get to kiss my sister instead of me." _So much for the bigger, patient person_ , Arya thought. If they got cast together as Petruchio and Katherina it was looking like it was going to be one hell of a week for them.

  
Gendry looked at her like he was planning on saying something but he just shook his head and took his duffel bag, ready to leave the room.  
"You're infuriating sometimes." He all but hissed and left her standing there, looking at his back. His tone made her flush, warming up her cheeks and ears, she kept telling herself it was because he made her angry and nothing more.

* * *

[Bianca & Lucentio pas de deux](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PbwV8blm6c)

[Katharina & Petruchio pas de deux](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F91FCWWK32g&t=193s)

[The whole Taming of the Shrew](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPCdePbkOiM&t=2s) [ballet if you're interested.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4ZOb35R0FQ)

[Tumblr post](https://mayakah.tumblr.com/post/186504718577/arya-x-gendry-ballet-au-pt3-they-almost-kept)


	4. Variation II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arya realizes having the right partner results in a great performance, but having someone supporting you is what truly counts.  
> Gendry's a feminist and a supporting friend, we stan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After reading, re-reading, checking and re-checking this chapter for about three days it's finally here!  
> It is not perfect but it is done with love 💝  
> Links are at the end as always, happy reading everyone!
> 
> p.d. go search ballet curtain calls on youtube and cry with me.  
> p.d.2 The third part of this chapter is based on real-life events that happened last season at the Royal Ballet, jsyk.

Arya was having a tough morning, she had been late for class, her left pointe shoe slipped off at the middle of petite allegro and to top it all she still wasn't in great terms with Gendry. The fact that both of them refused to greet each other was highly childish and yet neither one of them wanted to be the first to back down.  
At the end of class, Gendry left the studio without waiting for anybody, not even Pod. Arya noticed how Mya gave him a worried look over her shoulder but after she remained by her side Arya decided to do the same, she'd figure that when they weren't as hot-headed they would be able to solve this like they always had.  
Arya wrapped herself up in sweats and a jacket, getting ready to leave the classroom when she realized this was the moment of truth, the casting would be officially up in the call sheet board and truth be told she was scared shitless.  
Just last night Arya lost a good amount of sleep because she couldn't help but feel insecure about her current situation, not just about her possible dancing partner but about herself as a performer. Syrio's words came back and haunted her, she could perform the steps no doubt, but to show that range of emotions on stage for everyone to see was another thing. She even sat at her sister's bed to talk, something they hadn't done since they were little kids.

"I know I'm strong but I've never seen myself as beautiful or soft you know like Mordane used to say, rough as a blacksmith." Arya tried to make it sound like a joke, she even tried to smile but the memories were a bit more painful than she thought. Apparently being criticized at a young age about your looks and essentially who you were could manifest in unhealthy coping mechanisms during your adult life, shocker.

  
"You are right, you are the strongest person I know. But you are not a robot Arya, it's okay to act soft and it's okay to be vulnerable. And you are beautiful..." Sansa reached out for Arya's hand and gave it a little squeeze, "I'm sorry if I've ever made you feel otherwise." She tried to sound as gentle and honest as she could because Sansa knew that a lot of her sister's insecurities had been born out of her own words and that was something she would always regret from their childhood, being an asshole of a sister.

  
"When did you get so smart and nice?" A wolfish grin appeared on Arya's face for which Sansa reciprocated by throwing a pillow to her sister's face.

  
"Shut up and go to bed."

She remembered her sister's words from last night while she walked the halls of the theatre on her way to the call sheets, whatever the circumstances turned out to be she would be able to pull this off. _Calm as still water_ , she thought.  
She reached the bulletin board and found herself thankfully alone, whatever her reaction was she would rather keep it to herself. She finally stood in front of the call sheets and started looking for the one she'd been waiting to see since the start of the season, and then in that pretty blue printer ink, she found it.

The Taming of the Shrew  
Katharina - Arya Stark  
Petruchio - Gendry Waters  
Bianca - Sansa Stark  
Lucentio - Podrick Payne  
Hortensio - Harry Hardying  
Gremio - Edric Dayne  
The Widow - Shireen Baratheon  
Baptista - Robb Stark  
The Housekeeper - Meera Reed  
Grumio - Edric Storm

To Arya's surprise, she felt a massive wave of relief, whatever was that little fight she had with Gendry the day before was completely forgotten and replaced with excitement. If there was someone she could rely on to make it out alive of this production it was Gendry. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before going on with her day but her little meditation was rudely interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Yes! I'll officially be The Housekeeper to your Katharina." Meera Reed practically squealed while shaking her by the shoulders, taking advantage of Arya's lack of height. If it had been anyone else she would've probably smack them but Meera had been her friend since childhood and it wasn't her fault Arya hadn't grown much, unlike her sinewy friend.

"Congratulations Reed! You're gonna be the sassiest Housekeeper yet."

"I doubt that but thank you. Oh! Who's gonna be your Petruchio? I didn't even check." Meera turned her face back to the call sheets but Arya answered before she could find what she was looking for.

"Gendry." A tiny smile formed on Arya's lips when she said his name and Meera looked way too pleased with that.

"Ha! I knew it! Shireen owes me 20." The Reed girl leaned into the wall and crossed her arms over her chest as if she had guessed the trivia question of the century.

"You guys are awful." Arya didn't even want to think how the conversation between her friends even led to that bet, actually, she'd rather ignore a lot of what was said about Gendry and her in and outside of the theatre's walls.

"Lighten up Stark, it's but an innocent game of speculation."

"Sure. I have a rehearsal to get to."

* * *

"Gendry, I just have to remind you, because Arya always seems to forget. Whenever you give her your hand don't let her grab onto your thumb for dear life, it lacks elegance." Catelyn Stark had arrived ten minutes earlier for rehearsals and instead of striking a normal conversation like anyone else she went straight for the jugular and gave the new Petruchio and Katherina a couple of notes on their dancing.

"Sure Mrs. Stark," Gendry said. Always the gentleman when it came to her mother, Arya wondered why Gendry took directions from the Stark matriarch better than from anybody else, even from Davos.

"And Arya, make sure you don't lose your center, sometimes you distance yourself too much from Gendry," Catelyn said.

"Okay." Right after Arya replied to her mother Syrio Forell walked into the room. Although it was uncommon that the Director of the company himself would watch over rehearsals, everyone involved knew that his presence made the stakes grow higher.  
  
"Mrs. Stark, Petruchio, Katharina. Let's start with Petruchio's Act I variation and we'll directly follow up with the pas de deux shall we?" Syrio nodded at the people in the room, taking a seat right in front of the couple and waited for Catelyn to sit right next to him before speaking again.

"Who's our pianist today? Ah! Brandon, in this company everywhere you look there's always a Stark." Syrio may have wanted to sound exasperated but he sounded rather fond, like the cool uncle at a family gathering that you only saw once in a while and still you irremediably liked. Gendry snorted in agreement with the ballet master which only got him a small bump in the shoulder from Arya.

"I'm technically a Tully, Syrio." Catelyn was quick to correct and Arya couldn't help but smile at her little brother like they were sharing a secret from her mother.

"Only technically," Said the Stark girl mischievously before walking over to the side of the room, waiting to be called into the scene after Gendry's solo. They had been studying their choreography restlessly but only visually, these rehearsals were meant to give them the actual capability to perform without major problems.

"Well then, Mr. Stark if you would be so kind, from the beginning." Syrio nodded at Bran for him to start playing the beautiful Shostakovich music and Gendry lost no time in becoming Petruchio.

The choreography was complex, it required the dancer to deliver an attitude that Arya could only describe as pure confidence as to make the performance powerful instead of comedic and right now Gendry moved like he owned the place. Arya wasn't necessarily called into the scene but Gendry would always turn his gaze back to her, smiles and cockiness written on his face and Arya couldn't help but feel enraptured by it, her whole body tingled with the urge of taking part of whatever was happening before her.  
The music finally stopped and Gendry was left panting for a second, half crouching in front of Arya, he stood up and never once left her gaze until the clapping from Catelyn and Syrio caught his attention back to the rest of the people in the room.

"Good job, we'll work on certain points in the next rehearsals, now let's run the pas de deux," Syrio stood up and pointed at the center of the classroom with one hand, "Arya, please." Arya felt like she was peeling herself off the wall, her hands sweaty and legs wobbly but despite it all, she found herself in the middle of the classroom, right before Gendry, waiting for the music to start playing.

She started to think on how she was supposed to act during this pas de deux, annoyed at Petruchio of course but with the underlying curiosity of one that's measuring their new rival on the battlefield.  
Her attitude was thrown off though because right before the choreography started instead of Gendry acting as Petruchio and giving her a cocky smile, he just looked at her differently. Not annoyingly, or nervous or kindly but different and it made Arya extremely self-aware of his hands touching her clammy ones, her pointe shoes suddenly made too much noise and Gendry's breathe felt way too close. Arya could feel herself turning red and although she wanted to think it was because of the dancing, her heart said otherwise.

They hit that point in the choreography where Arya had to make the famous slippery move and so she tried to punch him straight in the balls but Gendry caught her hand right before she could succeed. His laugh seemed genuine, like something straight out of her memories when she used to punch him with no avail when they were teens after he had tried to make fun of her. Suddenly bewildered, Arya arrived a second too late to her next musical cue, she slammed her forehead a bit too harsh on his shoulder and her next leap barely lifted her off the ground making Gendry caress her thigh for a second too long before picking up their pace in time with the music.

Arya's mind kept thinking of Gendry's lingering touch causing her to completely forget her next steps but her seemingly unaffected partner still grabbed her by the arm, twirled her once, twice and before Arya was able to get her head back in the dance Gendry engulfed her in his arms and kissed her. It was an innocent and playful peck on the lips but Arya's eyes looked as big as plates and her whole body tensed. The music didn't stop and she's supposed to hit him playfully on the chest but before she's able to get her brain cells back in place Gendry notices her bewilderment and instead loses his hold on her and takes a step back, muttering something that sounds like sorry before the music comes to a full stop.  
They stood in front of each other without saying a word, Gendry's brows were furrowed and it seemed like he's trying to look anywhere but at her, Arya wanted to say something to him, anything to reassure him that it's not a big deal, that they should just go on with it but before she can come up with something clever she hears someone coughing behind her.

"What was that?" Syrio's voice comes through the fog of Arya's mind like the beam of a lighthouse and she's back in the studio, realizing how stupid she probably looks as she turns to face Syrio trying to come up with something that could explain what had just happened between the two dancers but she doesn't even know herself and so she settles for the next best thing.

"Sorry, I...forgot the next steps." Arya isn't technically lying but both Syrio and her know that she's not one to just forget the steps at the middle of a choreography and although he accepts her answer with an exasperated sigh it's clear that he isn't happy about it. Syrio paces around his chair, he smacks his lips in deep thought before speaking again.

"Arya, let me remind you that right now you are a woman trying to assert her independence, you're sure of not wanting to get married and yet," at this Syrio stops pacing and just stands in place looking into her eyes as if that would drill his words into her skull, "you find yourself falling in love. So please, give us all those emotions, you look terrified not torn." He ended his speech while motioning over his whole body, as if trying to convey to her that emoting wasn't just about facial expressions, it wasn't like wearing a mask, you had to feel it all over.

"Yes, Mr. Forell," Arya reassured him with a curt nod and the short man took a seat back folding his arms over his chest, he then turned his attention towards Catelyn who immediately took this as an invitation to voice her critiques. This time Catelyn signaled Gendry to come forward, right beside Arya before speaking.

"If I may. Gendry you look like you're holding back, this is your time to be as playful as ever. Really tease and rile her up with all you've got." Catelyn held her hands in front of her while speaking, making grandiose movements with them as if she was dancing the part herself. Gendry only nodded and shifted his weight awkwardly from one foot to another, still refusing to look straight at Arya, she took this as an opportunity to bring them back into the light-hearted banter they usually accustomed.

"He already does that every day," Arya said trying to sound cheeky but her voice came out barely above a whisper, despite it, Gendry smiled softly at her comment but still refused to make eye contact with her.

"Perhaps, but now show us you are in love as well, both of you." Catelyn's voice came out matter-of-factly, her tone left no space for doubts or jokes and it made both dancers feel goosebumps as if they were little kids getting caught while doing something wrong.  
Gendry sighed and turned to look at her, he let his whole body relax for the first time during their rehearsal, his hair hung right above his eyes wet with sweat and his cheeks were flushed making him look boyish.

"I think we should truly go for it, I mean, all the romance and stuff. I think that if we don't think about it too much it'll look more natural." He started to chew on his lower lip immediately after speaking and Arya couldn't help but think that that was something he had picked up from her. She had to admit that today's rehearsal fiasco had happened exactly because she overthought this situation way too much, he knew her so well, they both had a perfect understanding of each other and that made Arya feel strangely at peace.

"Sure," She said, a small grin forming on her lips, "just take a couple of mints beforehand so you don't scare me off again." Gendry huffed before pushing her lightly to the side but Arya's wolfy grin just grew bigger, happy to being back on track with her bull of a friend.

* * *

Gendry dragged himself slowly towards the Physio suite, it had been a long day of rehearsing and dancing and his body felt completely dead. He couldn't help but think that with his debut as Petruchio his schedule would only cause him even more exhaustion but to Gendry this type of exhaustion was good it meant that he was doing something right, that he was putting his best effort into his art and what would be the point of it all if he only half-assed things? At the end of the day, his hard work was what got him all the way here, to Winterfell, to his new home, his family and Arya.

He didn't even realize he was smiling until he reached the suite and a grunt took him out of his pleasant thoughts, sitting at the front desk was Sandor Clegane, not his favorite person in the world to say the least.

"The whinging bastard is back," Sandor dead-panned. Again not his favorite person in the world and they both knew it, the grumpy Physio didn't move from his chair and Gendry had no patience left for today.

"Isn't Brienne available?" Gendry's voice came out short and stern, he had made an appointment at this time of the day in the hopes of the suite being practically empty and getting to choose the PT he actually liked.  
Gendry waited at the front desk until Clegane said something and with a grunt, he stood from the chair and walked towards the closest physio bed.

"She's with the Stark girl." Gendry thought a simple nod would have been enough of an answer but his curiosity got the best of him. He was worried for Arya, her bad knee had been giving her trouble for almost a week now and although dancers weren't strangers to pain, it was never a good sign when it didn't go away. _It could be Sansa though_ , he remembered.

"Which one?" Gendry plopped down into the physio bed unceremoniously, his whole body screamed at him to take a nap but Clegane's whole demeanor made it look like he was measuring Gendry, for what exactly he had no idea, so he gave him his full attention.

"The one that leaves you looking like a lovesick twat every time she pays attention to you," Clegane said defensively as if he was Arya's bodyguard. Gendry blinked once, twice and then turned to face the bed, crinkles forming on his forehead.

"Let's just get on with it, my back has been killing me." Clegane started to crack, pop and push in different places of Gendry's back in silence.  
If truth be told Gendry didn't want to admit that he knew perfectly well that Clegane was talking about Arya. His sister Mya had asked him once before if they were more than friends and when Gendry answered with a simple no she had said _'maybe you two need to remember that now and again'_.  
It pissed Gendry off that people would try and guess what his feelings were or weren't, especially when it involved the person he trusted the most.

"I'm no lovesick twat, she's just my best friend," Gendry said finally. Clegane seemed to disagree with him and decided to make a statement by pressing a little too hard on a sore spot in Gendry's back, earning a huff from the dancer.

"Never said she wasn't. That little she-wolf never knew what was best for her," Clegane said, his voice becoming distant and his hands leaving Gendry's back. Taking it as the end of the session Gendry sat on the bed and faced the other man.

"And you do?" Gendry challenged, sarcasm dripping from his voice. He knew that for whatever reason Sandor Clegane had grown fond of the Stark sisters and was fiercely protective of them but whatever it was that he tried to get out of Gendry with this conversation he figured Clegane was bound to make a fool of himself.

"Aye, I do," He said matter-of-factly, not dropping Gendry's gaze. For a second he thought he almost sounded like a father threatening his daughter's boyfriend into having her back home at seven. And instead of playing into that game with the older man he figured that he would instead hit him with a low blow.

"I wonder what would she think of your condescendence." Clegane scrunched his face at that. They both knew that Arya hated when people imposed their thoughts over hers, she always looked out for her agency and values and he respected that, in fact, he admired her for that and he wasn't having any of Clegane's weird pep-talk. If there was anyone that ought to tell Arya Stark what to do or not do was herself.

* * *

Arya was biting her nails, positively going mental. Her day didn't just start shitty it had to end up shitty as well, a rotten cherry on top, how great.  
Tonight was her last performance in Don Quixote partnered by Ned Dayne like they had done a couple of times before, no big deal, no need to worry or so she thought. It only took a text from Ned one hour ago for her to feel the blood leave her face completely.

_Edric Dayne: I'm so sorry, I have a fever, won't be able to perform tonight._

  
_The nerve!_ she thought, and _on closing night!_

Perhaps she was being too harsh on him but there she was in the wings of the Winterfell theatre, fully dressed as Kitri with no partner to dance the whole three acts with her.  
Syrio, Davos, and Catelyn had been making calls like crazy to get anyone who knew the choreography in the theatre before the performance started but they only had half an hour left before the curtains went up and honestly morale was running low. Arya was about to leave the wings when the backstage door opened and in came Gendry running, fully clothed in winter clothes that made him look like a marshmallow, snowflakes still clinging to his beanie.

"I came as soon as possible, couldn't even drop Barra-" Arya hugged him before letting him finish his sentence, her tiptoes barely touched the ground.

"Thank the gods!" She sighed in relief and Gendry hugged her back, sharing her warmth but the sound of someone clearing their throat made them pull back. Arya then focused on someone she didn't pay attention to when Gendry entered the room, Barra Waters stood in front of her with a little smile on her face and an eyebrow raised in expectation.

"Oh, hi little one," Arya said fondly, she hugged her lightly and stepped away, she had met Barra only a year ago and yet she was sure she was one of the best people she had ever known, a strong girl with a heart of gold.

"I'm not that little anymore Arry, but I forgive you, you're one of my favorites." The fact that Barra called her by the nickname Gendry gave her ages ago made Arya feel warm inside, she loved that little girl.

"That's the greatest honor I've ever received," Arya said with a pompous air. She was all smiles until she remembered her current situation, her face immediately returned to her worried expression which didn't escape Gendry.

"Let's do a quick run before I go change. Barra, just..." Gendry wasn't sure what to say, he had received Davos' call while he and Barra were grocery shopping and didn't have enough time to drop his little sister back home, he planned on telling her to go off and explore the theatre but on second thought a Baratheon child inside a building full of potentially dangerous tools and mechanisms wasn't a good idea. Barra rolled her eyes affectionately at her brother and took him out of his misery.

"Go do your thing, I'll go looking for Davos." Barra hugged both Arya and Gendry reassuringly and left the stage, in search of another one of her favorite people.

"When was the last time we danced this ballet together?" Arya remembered that they had danced a couple of bits and pieces of this ballet back at school but that was a long time ago.

"The full thing? Never." Gendry said half-panicking half-excited. He had closed his Don Quixote run with Jeyne Heddle only a night before and was ready to go home, relax and have pancakes for dinner and yet here he was, trying to remember the whole ballet twenty minutes before the curtain went up.

"Great." Unlike Gendry, Arya's voice didn't sound excited, only panicked, she took a couple of breaths before schooling her expression into a more relaxed façade but Gendry knew how anxious she could get.

"Don't worry, I've got you." He extended a hand on her direction and when she took it in hers they started to mark down the steps for their first pas de deux, it was nothing like their rehearsal for The Taming of the Shrew earlier, this time both of them were completely there, sensing each other's energy and responding to their unique little touches.  
Finally, Arya started to relax and when their little rehearsal came to an end she held onto Gendry, not letting go of his arms.

"Gendry, thank you." Without warning, she went on pointe and kissed him on the cheek, he embraced her on instinct like before and after a moment they both let go.

"No problem, just gift me a flower at curtain call," He said, a goofy smile appearing on his face before running off stage.

* * *

Their performance went on as smooth as possible, despite some little misses here and there they had the time of their lives, even Syrio appeared at the curtain call to gift Arya some flowers.  
And after the company gave their final bows the audience kept clapping until Arya and Gendry appeared again on the stages' apron. They bowed and greeted the audience while flowers were thrown at their feet. Arya picked one red rose and gifted it to Gendry bowing before him, one of the oldest gestures between a grateful ballerina and their partner, he kissed her hands in response and after bowing one last time they let the curtain fall behind them.

This was one of those nights that Arya would always remember, usually she was able to convince Gendry to celebrate at their favorite pub but it was school night for Barra and the two Waters/Baratheons practically fled the theatre right after the curtain dropped, leaving Arya with her mother and sister on their ride back home.  
Catelyn had insisted on driving the girls to their apartment because of the snow and Arya felt so exhilarated that she didn't even think of protesting, she practically floated from her dressing room to her mother's car. They were just a street away from the theatre when Catelyn decided she'd rather talk instead of listening to the radios' low hum.

"I know it's not a very pleasant comparison but you two are truly Lyanna and Robert reborn... in looks, at least." Catelyn was quick to add the second part of her comment before Arya could answer back. It didn't quite bother her to be compared to her aunt like it did before but she couldn't help but feel weird about it, at the end of the day she hadn't even met her, all she knew about Lyanna Stark came from the memories of others and although she always listened with attention and was proud to be connected to such an incredible artist, she felt quite distant from her aunt. And the matter of Gendry and Robert... that was a whole other can of worms.

"Don't ever say that to Gendry's face, he might drop ballet forever," Arya said jokingly.  
No one had known about Gendry's parentage back when they were at school but she still regretted not being by his side when this life-changing news broke out.  
When they reunited at Winterfell years later Gendry had a home, siblings and a family name he refused to use but he remained the same stubborn, brave and noble guy she had met years ago, nothing like the late Robert Baratheon, excepting his looks.

"Even if you two look like them it doesn't mean you'll repeat the same mistakes though." Catelyn reminded her.  
She wished her mother's words were enough but Arya knew that every time she and Gendry danced together, people couldn't help but bring up the scandal between Lyanna, Robert, and Rhaeger Targaryen. It was widely known within the ballet community of Westeros but it was most resonant in Winterfell considering that Lyanna didn't come out of it alive.  
Sensing how this conversation could lead to a more somber tone Sansa decided to interject for the sake of her sister and her previous cheery mood.

"For starters, Gendry is an actual good person," Sansa said, her head peeking between Arya and Catelyn from the back seat. Arya couldn't help but snort at her comment in the most unladylike manner and Sansa followed with a giggle.

"Girls," Catelyn said sternly. But she understood what the older Stark was trying to do, and relented.

"Your dad would have loved to watch you two dance, he had such high hopes for both of you. You should've listened to him when he discovered Gendry, he was ecstatic and that same year you began to train with Syrio! He was so proud..." Catelyn's voice wavered a little but her head was held high and her back remained perfectly straight while she watched the snowy road ahead.

"He'd probably cry," Sansa said, plopping back into the backseat, a little smile forming on her lips despite the sadness in her voice.

It had been years since Ned's passing but some things never got easier, for Arya it resulted in leaving the continent and yet she found her way back home not long after. She understood that the biggest lesson her father gave her was ' _the lone wolf dies but the pack survives_ ' and so she returned to her family.

"And he would have blamed the stage lights for it," Arya said. She smiled reassuringly at her mother, trying not to cry herself.

"Mom cried," Sansa said quietly.

"You did?" Arya then took hold of her mother's free hand, grabbing her fingers lightly.

"Oh! It was nothing, my eyes get tired and teary now, that's all." Regardless, Catelyn squeezed Arya's hand before letting go.  
  
A little drop of water appeared on Arya's cheek after she hugged her mother goodbye that night, but it probably was a melting snowflake.

* * *

I couldn't find a video of Petruchio's variation (Gendry's dance) by itslef but [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPCdePbkOiM) you can see it in all its glory at minute 23:59.

Their pas de deux follows up immediately after Petruchio's variation at 25:03 or you can watch it [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F91FCWWK32g&t=162s) with commentary from Ekaterina Krysanova who plays Katherina in the original production and from whom I stole the 'slippery move' phrase.

I've seen that sweet curtain call gesture a couple of times before but for the life of me, I cannot find video proof, sorry guys.


	5. Coda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just as Arya and Gendry start to find their easy rhythm again new opportunities and realizations turn things upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back to a new chapter, the angstiest yet but do not fret, I'm not a lazy white dude that will give you a half-assed, undeveloped ending for the sake of subverting your expectations or whatever.
> 
> Anyway, I meant to have a Stark family scene on this chapter but found myself emotionally unable to do so, we shall see if it makes the next chapter. For updates, you can find me as mayakah on tumblr. 😊  
> As always happy reading and thank you! So! Much! For the nice comments!

Gendry and Arya found themselves chilling in between rehearsals, they often spent time together during work but this week they had been practically inseparable. Today was no exception as they both laid on a couch at the dancers' lounge, facing each other Gendry read and Arya watched the Taming of the Shrew ballet for the umpteenth time.

After the video ended Arya's mind started to wander off thinking about how many pointe shoes remained on her bag, which ones needed sewing and if she had bought new elastics until her gaze dropped on Gendry.

His eyebrows were knotted together while his blue eyes skimmed through the pages quickly, he looked completely absorbed by the contents of the little book that was Onegin, a novel turned ballet that Arya knew was one of Gendry's favorite roles to dance, she thought that maybe next season they could dance the main roles together and a smile appeared on her face, Gendry feeling observed turned his gaze towards Arya.

"What?" He sounded rather defensive, probably thinking Arya's intentions weren't good and so she decided to unsettle him a bit.

"Nothing, I just like you." She grinned from ear to ear and pushed his leg with her foot playfully.

"Um, thanks?" He said, suddenly bewildered, unsure of what to say next.

"I swear to the gods Gendry, sometimes I wonder how your introverted ass has managed to stay alive," Arya said between laughs. Her friend was a very sweet guy indeed but the poor thing had the social skills of a teaspoon and she loved to remind him of that.

"Excuse me, my lady Stark," Gendry rolled his eyes and with an exasperated tone he concluded his sentence, "I like you too." he huffed before closing his book, Arya took this as an open invitation for a conversation.

"Did Barra had a hard time waking up early for school?" She remembered the poor girl being swept up from the stage to the theatre exit, half asleep already.

"Nah, but Mya did let me know how _irresponsible_ it was of me to take Barra with me, what did she want me to do? Call her an uber? She'd kill me." Gendry's irritation was clear on his face, she wondered if Gendry realized how much he sounded like a dad. A little smile started forming at the corners of her mouth at that thought.

"Older sisters, can't live with them right?" Arya said amiably to which Gendry could only answer with a huff before changing the subject.

"We did pretty well last night huh?" He didn't look at her, instead, he looked too busy playing with a string of his hoodie, a smile appeared on his face nonetheless.

Memories of the previous night flashed in Arya's mind, it was truly one of the most special performances she had ever done and it only made her more hopeful for the future and their pending debut. They were going to be fine.

"We've always worked pretty well together Gendry, I probably wouldn't have made it out of The Riverlands without you." It was time for Arya to advert her gaze, for whatever reason she felt kind of silly admitting these things to Gendry but she felt like he deserved to know. All those times when they would get in trouble for being too stubborn during class or how they would always share a table during dinner time, Arya even remembered how Gendry helped her to sneak out of the school once, she truly owed him big time.

"Likewise," Gendry answered, kindness laced up his words. He waited until Arya turned to look at him before telling her something that had been nagging at his mind, "I'm sorry for acting like an idiot... during the casting of The Shrew." His tone turned apologetic and the smile disappeared from his face.

He was one of those people that constantly beat themselves over something until being assured, a hundred times, that the other person was fine.

And although Arya had been mad at Gendry for the way he acted around her during the past two days she had to admit that the blame was also on her. She had been so focused on this role and worried about her possible promotion that she didn't even stop to think about him, and as his best friend she should've done better.

"It's alright. I'm sorry for being inside my head all the time, I should've asked how you felt about it before." Arya said softly, bumping his knee.

That was their definition of reassurance and Gendry understood their little shared language perfectly well, a little bump on the knee meant _I am serious and you should always remember this_. He nodded and smiled at her, bumping her knee back saying _I will don't worry._

Still, Arya kept quiet, clearly waiting for Gendry to answer her silent question, how did he feel? For one, he felt excited to dance with her, on the other hand, he was shitting himself for the prospect of having to dance such a big role but the thing that had worried him the most was that he felt weirdly eager to dance _that_ role with her for the sole reason that he would get to kiss her, but he buried that thought deep within himself just in case she was able to read his mind like he sometimes suspected she could.

"It's not that I didn't want to dance with you as a couple or whatever," He made a pause just to make sure that he had her whole attention, "I just worried about... This matinee is going to change things up for us and, I don't know, I didn't want to get in your way." His whole demeanor became insecure, like a child about to be scolded. Arya could only think of how that made her equal parts annoyed at his foolishness and appreciative of his caringness.

"Don't be stupid, you are the best partner I've ever had," Surprised at her honesty she figured it was better to just come clean before him and say what was on her mind ever since she saw him running towards her from the stage door yesterday. "And the person that I trust the most." Arya's voice left no space for doubts, she wielded that authoritative tone of hers and left him positively flabbergasted.

Some crazy part of him felt the instinctive urge to say something incredibly stupid like _you are the best thing that has ever happened to me_ but he mentally chastised himself before committing such stunt.

In front of him, Arya was still very aware of his silence and the way his ears started to turn red. She decided to let it go, Gendry had never been one to be great at speeches, so she asked a question herself.

"Gendry, when you said _us_ , what did you mean exactly?" Arya's voice sounded weary, he could have meant anything with that or it could have been just an accidental phrasing but after Mya told her about his meeting with Syrio she'd figure it was best to make sure.

On Gendry's mind, the gears had to do a double rewinding before answering her. His stunned expression was soon schooled into a very casual demeanor, like the one you would use when talking about the weather.

"Oh! Nothing important really. Syrio wants to see how I do in this production and if he thinks I'm ready I'll open the new season as Albrecht." Now he positively, without a doubt, was avoiding Arya's gaze.

He had been so nervous at what she would think about this proposition he figured it would be best to not say anything until he was sure about what was ahead for him.

It was too much of him to ask her for a calm and collected response though and Arya was ready to give him a piece of her mind. She was equal parts proud of her detective skills and kind of hurt at the fact that he had kept such important news from her.

"A principal role? For the premiere? Gendry, I know I'm always calling you stupid but you do know what that means." She tried not to sound too harsh and failed. In Arya's mind, Syrio's casting choices left little to no space for speculation, knowing her teacher-now-boss well he never did things without a plan ahead and the logical outcome of such a move derived in Gendry's promotion or at least the submission of it before the Council.

"He offered the role, not a promotion." Gendry bit back, his defense mechanism working at full speed. He knew he was trying to diminish the situation by ignoring the fact that the prospect of a near promotion had been placed on his mantle in a silver plate but he still hadn't been sure how to tell his friend, so he kept it to himself.

Probably not the wisest idea when he knew she was as explosive as he was, he could almost see sparks flying out of her head.

"He might as well have, it happened that way with Sansa," Arya said loudly. She could feel herself going red in the face out of anger, "why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because I knew you would react like this!" Gendry said, standing up from the couch.

"Like how?!" Arya said, imitating Gendry's action.

"Upset!" He said, throwing his hands into the air and then dropping them, defeated.

"I'm not upset!" Arya realized she was screaming at him now, a terrible reaction really, she knew she was being way too harsh on him. If she was to learn about her mistakes she would have to suck her anger up this once and calm down. She sat back down and took a deep breath before speaking again, softly this time, "I just can't understand why you wouldn't tell me about something so important." At her hurt tone Gendry looked back at her, she seemed so little in that second that the best thing he thought he could do was sit down, knees touching hers. Arya took this as a peace offering and gave him one in return.

"Anything you want to add?" She said looking straight into his eyes, her pinky finger poked his thigh sweetly and waited for an answer.

Gendry could only think that if Arya had reacted that way to his meeting with Syrio he couldn't even imagine what she would do after telling her the most recent news that shook the Baratheon household.

"You have to promise me that you won't lose your shit." He said quietly, he hunched his elbows into himself making him appear impossibly tiny.

Arya looked at him expectantly and when he didn't say anything she could only huff and shake her head.

"Come on, tell me." She pushed his shoulder with hers playfully, encouraging him into talking.

Gendry sighed and took a big breath before spilling out the news, talking as fast as possible.

"My siblings and I were offered jobs at the Stormlands Dance Company. Renly called us and offered Mya and I Principal positions, First Soloists to Edric and Bella and the best education available for Barra." _There, I said it_ , he thought.

He waited expectantly for Arya's reaction, sure of having to receive a very similar attitude as before, he was surprised at discovering that she didn't look angry or upset, she looked stunned. After a moment she was finally able to collect her thoughts and spoke.

"But, you're probably going to be named Principal here anyway, why leave?" Her big eyes looked almost desperate while she spoke as if she were trying to find the logic in his words.

Arya had to admit that the possibility of separating from Gendry again had never crossed her mind and this news weighed heavily on her heart.

"If I was on my own, just Gendry Waters, I wouldn't even think about it. But-" He turned to look at her, leaning closer this time. He tried to come up with the words that would describe how he felt right now, torn between his love and duty to his family and the selfish thought of life alongside Arya. Suddenly bewildered by his own thoughts he found himself incapable of saying his realization out loud.

"But?" She insisted, truly anxious for his answer this time.

Arya started to bite her lower lip. Gendry frowned deeply. They became aware of how the words Gendry decided to voice next would define the future of their relationship.

"I have to think about my family now, I may be getting a promotion here but Mya isn't, you know that, and she's one of the oldest dancers in the company. Edric loves it there, he was ready to leave as soon as we got the call, Bella will go wherever Barra goes and we think she would do really well over there, she'd have more opportunities than any of us had." He spoke quickly and his expression became neutral as if he were reading a grocery list, like something he had to repeat to himself over and over again in case he forgot.

Arya took this as a chance for pushing fiercely against this new opportunity, he was clearly unsure of going through with this decision and that only gave her faith on him staying at Winterfell, with her.

"But I mean, you're all happy here, and Barra has a great education, I attended the same school for fuck's sakes." She tried to say jokingly but perhaps it came out a little desperate.

Arya had never been one to beg for things or to throw tantrums when things didn't go as she had planned but after everything they had gone through she couldn't understand why they had to be separated again.

"It's not just that Arya, we're fine but we all work here almost the entire day, we barely see Barra and if we moved to Storm's End our schedules would be shorter and more flexible," He paused, trying to remember everything Mya had said on the matter before repeating it to Arya like a well-trained parrot. "Most importantly, she would be home, and we would have the support of Renly and Loras who love her as much as we do. And we also have to face the fact that whether we like it or not the Storm's End Theatre is at our name, eventually, we have to figure out what to do with it." With every sentence spoken, Gendry only felt more pressured into giving in to this bright new future but still, he felt that he was trying to convince himself instead of Arya.

She could see how this whole discussion weighed on Gendry's shoulders, clearly, he was the only one of his sibling that wasn't ready to make the jump and as painful as it was to her she had to admit that he had every reason to move away and be with his family. As someone who had spent years trying to get back to hers, she wouldn't even dare to ask him to not follow his for the sake of her, at the end of the day she was only his friend.

"Gendry, whether you decide to stay or leave, I just want you to be happy and at peace with the decisions that you make." Her words sounded sweet when they left her mouth but they almost broke her heart. Despite it, she knew he needed to hear that to feel reassured and supported and she was ready to oblige.

At such tamed response, Gendry had felt tempted to laugh but he had made himself rather gloom after this confession, not in the mood to keep raining on their parade he tried to incite some of the playful banter they had always shared.

"Arya Stark, are you really being nice to me right now?" He said, feigning shock, a hand to his chest.

Arya only rolled her eyes, a cheeky grin appearing on her face.

"Against popular believe I'm not just a cold-hearted bitch," She said, jokingly. _Plus_ , she thought, _I was the one to leave first_.

Arya's demeanor changed, she felt incredibly guilty for leaving him years ago and regretful for taking his presence for granted once more, she wondered if she was forever doomed to keep seeing her loved ones leave her over and over like waves against a crumbling cliff.

She reached for Gendry's hand and held it lightly on her own.

"I don't want you to go, but if you were to do so I would understand why," She said softly, squeezing his hand.

Gendry had always cared for Arya Stark and she had cared for him but seeing her display such tenderness and acceptance towards him made him feel enormously supported, something he had rarely felt during his life. In this very moment, if the irrational part of Gendry were to answer her it would have said something incredibly dangerous like _I love you._ Thankfully he still had some power over himself and instead, he answered with the next best thing he could manage.

"Thank you."

* * *

Today's rehearsal had felt different, not only because of Gendry's and Arya's renewed confidence in themselves but because today the studio was filled with the ballet's main cast, even Ned Dayne had made it albeit still looking unwell but he still made an act to apologize to Arya for missing their performance the day before and, although more reluctantly, he thanked Gendry for filling up for him.

The troop of dancers stretched and warmed up on the sidelines of the studio waiting for their coaches to arrive, all of them visibly eager for this ballet to come to life.

"Good evening dancers, I hope everyone is ready for today's rehearsal, we've got quite a lot of job ahead of us." Syrio Forell entered the biggest studio in their theatre as someone who had just entered their own house followed by his usual repetiteurs Catelyn and Davos.

While looking at the entourage Arya couldn't help but feel as if she had disappointed them yesterday and as a way of making sure the three coaches knew it was only a stone on their way she spoke up before something else was said, not caring for the dancers joining them today.

"Mr. Forell, I just wanted to assure you that Gendry and I are ready to go through our pas de deux today without interruption." Arya felt sure of herself while speaking and Gendry stood right beside her, nodding firmly towards their coaches.

"Glad to hear that, but let's do things in order shall we?" Syrio quickly responded before addressing the whole room, "We will begin with the family introduction and follow directly with the Suitors." Syrio finished his sentence and took his usual seat at the front of the room, a second later Catelyn stood up, notebook in her hands.

"We will need Sansa, Robb, Meera, and Arya first; Pod, Harry, and Ned shall follow. Shireen, Edric, and Gendry please wait by the barre," Catelyn said, looking each dancer in the eye when saying their name.

Each dancer walked to their start positions quickly, creating momentary havoc at the studio's center. Before leaving the floor, Gendry leaned into Arya's ear, his warm breath causing her shivers.

"See you in a bit." He whispered and stepped back, sitting below the barre with his brother and cousin.

Arya tried with all her might to not keep staring back at him while she waited for the music to start.

"All right. Mr. Greyjoy, please." Syrio practically commanded Theon to start playing with that short phrase and thus, the rehearsal began.

First Meera and Robb entered the scene introducing themselves as The Father and The Housekeeper, their little dance was a hilarious exchange of power that was soon to be disrupted by the Stark sisters.

Arya had always thought the introduction of Katherina and Bianca to be hilarious but as she grabbed her sister by the ears and practically dragged her into the scene on pointe she thought there truly had never been two roles more perfect for them.

Robb soon joined the sisters and found themselves playing roles that certainly fit their childhood selves, Sansa danced around Robb using him as a physical shield between herself and the troublesome Arya while the poor man tried to control them both with no avail.

Catelyn almost laughed at the familiar scene, thinking of past days that had usually ended in Sansa crying and Arya trying to escape her parents' scoldings.

The sisters kept bickering, attacking and measuring each other through their dance until a change in music announced the entrance of three new dancers. While Robb and Meera took Sansa away, Arya took advantage of her role and truly gave a hard time to Pod, Harry and, Ned as she intimidated them one by one, her hands like claws ready to attack as she met them on the dance floor.

Finally, she left them alone and Arya had a moment of peace at the back of the studio, while she saw the men introduce themselves as Bianca's suitors they all displayed what they brought to her sister's table such as love, strength, and money.

Such narrative was only made funnier when Robb started to push them around the room making them prove their worth. Arya would never forget the faces of the three men opposite her brother, they looked truly intimidated by him, who in true Stark fashion looked ready to take them down one by one.

Her sister then rejoined the scene, playing the innocent and coquettish girl. Arya was suddenly taken aback, she realized that it had been years since she had seen her sister act in such a way, back during her early teenage years Sansa would wear her emotions on her sleeve and made a grand romantic act out of everything but the years hadn't been kind to her sister either and now as a full-grown adult she directed herself very carefully, only showing her emotions when she deemed appropriate or while she was on stage.

It was now time for Arya to be dragged onto the scene by Robb and Sansa to be lifted away from her admirers. True to the story, Arya's movements were sharp, venomous even and she enjoyed every second of her solo before Syrio could ask for the music to stop.

At the lift of his hand, the dancers stopped and left their positions sweating, hurting and panting. Arya apologized to Pod for pushing him rather too aggressively but overall she had felt better than yesterday, Katherina's feistiness truly came as second nature to her.

"I must say I'm very pleased dancers." Syrio clacked his boots together after standing up, regarding the room positively. "Gentlemen I can only ask you to be a bit more precise when it comes to characterization, Mr. Hardyng please remember this is not a Prince Charming role." Although the comment was done on the general direction of the male dancers, Syrio's gaze fell heavily on Harry and said dancer albeit proud was also a perfectionist and bit back his remark.

"Yes, Mr. Forell," Harry said, a curt nod was his only sign of discomfort.

As always, Syrio wasted no time and clapped twice before instructing his dancers once again.

"Now, let's do Katherina's variation, keep going until we reach the pas de deux, Mr. Waters be on the ready." Syrio pointed at both Arya and Gendry to emphasize the importance of this moment. Neither said anything but Gendry stood up and got closer to the space the whole scene had been unraveling, ready for his entrance.

But first, it was Arya's time to make a show out of her conquering the Suitors and when the music started she turned into a merciless creature. She kicked her way around the room, attacking anyone who came before her, eyes fierce and hands like claws, she threw the men around and was in turn thrown around by them needing to get rid of her.

The poor Suitors tried to steal Sansa out of Robb's watch but the story needed for one of them to marry Arya's character before one of them could try and reach Sansa's. Resulting in the introduction of Petruchio, Gendry's character, he walked into the scene as if he owned the place watching Arya dance passionately around him. He looked ready to join her in her rowdy dance.

After a moment the music reached its peak and Arya was left standing alone on the floor, sure of having defeated them all, and just when she sat down on the floor Theon started to play a new tune and both Gendry and Edric fully entered the scene.

It was a complete show of testosterone, Gendry made a whole act of showing off while Edric cowered around him and Arya. Gendry directed all of his energy into tempting her into a fight and as the music stopped and he was left crouching in front of her she was ready to give him just that.

The new music started and she let herself go completely not worrying about every single step like the day before. As her mother had said before, this was a game Arya and Gendry new well, every time she tried and make a jab at him he would answer right back in a continuous battle of wits.

Unlike their last rehearsal, Arya wasn't hyperaware of every single thing around her, today she was completely absorbed by the moment. She could feel how the adrenaline made her body tingle, the music enveloped her and her eyes were only on Gendry's. Suddenly the two dancers were alone in their own world, their steps were being performed more out of muscle memory than the actual thought of them but to the public that surrounded them, it was definitely working. If there was something that everyone could agree on was that they were witnessing magic.

Despite the energy that was being created in the room, Syrio couldn't help but worry as the pas de deux progressed fearing that this beautiful display would come to an end after the dancers ended freezing up again. _Young love_ , he thought, _what a curious game that is._

And there, the moment came and went, Arya and Gendry shared a couple of playful pecks on the lips but kept going without even a slight show of awkwardness.

Instead, the choreography directed them into opposite directions but it seemed that a thread surrounding their waists never kept them far away from each other for too long. If Gendry took a step back, Arya took two in his direction, if Arya pushed him away Gendry picked her up and so forth until the music changed again and all of the dancers froze mid-step except for Arya.

She was suddenly surrounded by pretense statues and inside Katherina's dream, she kissed Gendry sweetly and then walked away from him dancing around relishing in Katherina's solo, displaying her inner thoughts. She looked around her, Robb, and the Suitors surrounded them and yet she turned to kiss Gendry again unashamedly.

Although she was just playing her role it unsettled her how much she connected to her character right this instant. When Katherina touched Petruchio's body, Arya found herself admiring Gendry's soft black hair and strong back muscles. When she pried her hand away from him ashamed of her thoughts the force that took her back with shaking hands was hers and not Katherina's and finally when she mimicked the sensation of butterflies in her stomach the little bastards seemed to truly jump out of it and into her fingers.

With a little turn, she returned into Gendry's arms, he was sweaty and his whole body shook with exhaustion but his gaze was filled with tenderness and so they waited for their next cue, noses bumping, breathing each other in.

This ought to be the end of their pas de deux but before Theon had a chance to stop playing the music Syrio's voice rang through the room.

"Keep going! Everyone on the scene!" At Syrio's request, Theon changed the music without stopping and the frozen dancers came alive again, Arya pushed Gendry away forcefully and tried to take leave.

Everyone then joined the scene, making a show of Katherina finally being conquered by Petruchio, the men danced happily celebrating their successful plan. Arya was then lifted by Gendry and then placed back down on her brother's arms who twirled her a couple times before exciting the scene together.

While they waited on the sidelines for the rest of the act to conclude Robb couldn't help but look in awe at his exhilarated sister who gasped beside him after such a passionate performance. He didn't know much about her relationship with Gendry but they seemed awfully comfortable with each other which only made him think that perhaps he had a couple of things to ask Sansa about this.

"Are you okay?" He said, tempting the waters.

"Yeah, why?" She replied, still out of breath but looking positively happy.

"I don't know, you are a great actress I guess." He had meant it as a friendly comment on the surface but he hoped that his little sister had noticed the question underneath, _are you really acting?_ he thought.

She had definitely noticed.

* * *

Arya's day had been a whim of rehearsals for her debut as Katherina sharing the floor with the main cast, the corps or just Gendry but now she walked towards her dressing room, her whole body ached.

As she entered the room she was glad to find her dressing room friends already there, Shireen, Meera, and Sansa were getting ready to head out of the theatre. Apparently, Mya was the only one missing, probably performing tonight.

Arya let her duffel bag drop and the floor as she took a seat in front of her mirror huffing as she went down. Her hair and body were damp because of the sweat but she'd rather go back home and eat before taking a shower, plus she had never really trusted the showers at the Winterfell theatre to keep her warm enough during the winter.

Arya started to undo her bun and as she combed her fingers through her hair she noticed that she was out of baby wipes, her last resort to avoid a cold shower. She dropped her head into her hands before dramatically addressing the room.

"Can anyone gift me a baby wipe, please?" She said, her face peeked through her hands and before any of the other girls could say something, Shireen Baratheon extended her hand right beside her.

"There you go," Shireen said softly, a gentle smile graced her lips as she delivered the baby wipe.

"Thank you, the world doesn't deserve you." Arya sat back properly as she took the wipe and started to scrub her face and neck.

As Arya kept dutifully washing her skin Meera Reed walked from her vanity at the back of the room and placed herself between Sansa and Arya, a devilish grin on her face.

"So..." Meera said, looking her in the eye through the mirror.

Arya waited for the older girl to end her sentence but instead, Meera clung to the silence like a hawk waiting for Arya to say something she wanted to know, the problem was Arya had no idea of what was Meera's object of curiosity.

"So?" Arya said, the words coming slowly from her mouth, unsure of what to say.

"Just spit it out Meera," Shireen interjected for Arya, slightly annoyed but when Meera kept quiet Arya was forced into insisting once more, still looking the other through the mirror.

"What?" She said aggression tinged her voice, not one for patience as always.

"When were you going to tell us you were into Gendry?" Meera said finally. The feeling of success after making her speak ended up shortly though because Arya now found herself stunned by the question, incapable of forming logical sentences.

"What the fuck Meera Reed." Arya turned fully to look straight into the girl's face, now she was truly pissed.

Later Arya would admit that this was only to hide her humiliation at being called out in front of her friends, but first, she would try and escape from this.

"I told you to not say anything." Sansa chastised Meera as she turned to look at both girls, her face was schooled into a perfectly neutral expression but her words sounded like a warning. Whether it was directed towards Meera or herself Arya wasn't sure.

Meera only sighed exasperatedly and turned to look back at Arya just as fiercely.

"Oh, come on Stark don't what-the-fuck-me, you two eat each other up every time you dance." Her tone was recriminatory.

Arya couldn't help but feel trapped between the girls, she was practically surrounded by them now, the only way she was able to avoid them was to moodily turn back to her own reflection in the mirror but she found herself to be just as judged as before if not more by her own gaze, her own thoughts.

She knew exactly what Meera meant because it had already crossed her mind, there was no way of denying the clear chemistry she shared with Gendry but she had hoped everyone would admire it instead of voicing their suspicions. Robb's comment this afternoon seemed like nothing now.

"It's called acting Reed." Arya tried to save herself by putting on a strong facade as she tried to keep on with her grooming.

To her dismay though, her friends and sister weren't about to give up that easily.

"You've got to admit today's rehearsal got pretty steamy," Shireen said delicately as if she were trying to deactivate a time bomb.

"Sansa, please help me out," Arya begged to her sister, hoping that she would be able to get her out of this mess before she ended up admitting something she wasn't ready to say.

"I don't think it's nice to force her into saying whatever it is we expect her to say," Sansa said sternly in the direction of Meera and Shireen, "But, and please let me finish, you two do act like a pair of newlyweds on stage and like an old married couple offstage." Sansa started sweetly but at the end of her comment, she sounded rather exasperated.

"It's not very friend-like." She added to top it off.

Arya then felt completely helpless, she kept thinking about Meera's question and how it came to be. She thought that through the years she had gained the ability to read the emotions of others quite easily but it seemed that now she couldn't even read her own.

The realization of her unnamed feelings for Gendry had practically burned her today first as she opened up to him but especially after he introduced the threat of leaving her.

The mere thought of it made her throat and chest tighten, the answer to Meera's question would be a simple _I'm still trying to tell myself_ , she thought. But even if she were to admit that to herself, that she _liked_ him, maybe something more than that, there was no point in even voicing it. On the contrary, Arya was sure that the confession of such feelings would only cause her pain at the unescapable refusal from Gendry, or at least that's what she thought.

"We are just friends, he would never think of me in that way and I would never think of him like that either so let's please end this conversation," Arya said rather weakly as she started to get dressed for the cold weather outside the building.

"That's bullshit. Arya, my cousin is as dense as a rock but he is the most honest person I know and the way he is with you, the way he looks at you, it cannot be faked." Shireen said matter of factly, her sweetness replaced by assertiveness.

Arya could only stare back at her, it could not be true that there was even a possibility of Gendry having feelings for her outside of friendly fondness or familiarity built up from the years. She tried to scrape her memory in the look for any sign that would prove Shireen right and found herself rather overwhelmed at the fact that maybe that fondness and familiarity weren't isolated tendencies but part of a whole relationship that everyone but them had deemed romantic.

How well and truly fucked she felt.

"Even if he could think of me that way what good is it to do anything about it? What if I leave again? What if he ends up leaving next season? What if we end up hating each other?" Arya's voice turned desperate, gradually raising her voice.

Feeling trapped she started packing her bag, ready to leave the room, hoping her fears and worries would stay behind as well. At the sudden burst of emotion, the three girls shared worried looks, what they thought would be an innocent questioning turned into a rather grim discussion and as a way of assuring her clearly confused friend, Shireen spoke again, reaching out for Arya's hand.

"Arya, you know he would never-" Before Shireen had a chance to finish her sentence Arya snatched her hand away from the Baratheon girl and walked towards the door.

Arya paid the three other girls one more look before opening the door and spoke harshly.

"We're fine as it is. Leave it be." Just as she turned towards the hallway Arya came face to face with a stunned Mya Stone who took a look at Arya and then to the other girls in the dressing room. Silence reigned over them for a moment.

"Uhm, what did I miss?" Mya said, finally stepping into the room, looking for someone that would answer her.

"Don't," Arya said harshly as she looked into the eyes of Meera, Shireen, and Sansa. A clear threat directed at them.

Mya was left confused as Arya stormed out of the room.

* * *

Here you can find [the scene](https://youtu.be/DPCdePbkOiM?t=840) from the Taming of the Shrew I referred to during this chapter at 14:00.

[Here you can see a graphic I made for this chapter :)](https://mayakah.tumblr.com/post/186920572457/arya-x-gendry-ballet-au-pt5-she-kissed-gendry)


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